2011 Newsletters

A DECEMBER LAGNIAPPE
(That's Cajun/French¬ meaning something extra or not expected)

WHAT'S HAPPENING?
With the Christmas Holidays upon us we have 'a little something extra' to share on the next couple of Saturday afternoons. Most of you know already that we team up with Mountain Willow over the winter to offer unique, attractive and fresh cut 'woody stem florals’ – Pussy Willows in particular. To make these available to you in time to decorate for the coming holidays, we will open on the farm from noon to 3 PM Saturday December 10 and 17. (This schedule will then begin again January 7 thru March 31, 2012.)

Ready to plant willows along with instructions for planting and starting your very own pussy willow may also be of interest to you.

And finally, a limited number of freshly cut evergreen and magnolia branches are expected to be available to help you complete your holiday decor.

CREATE YOUR OWN ARRANGEMENTS!
Bring your own dry vase or container and Ann, Chris and Lou (Mr. Pussy Willow) will help you create your own take home woody stem arrangement that will be the envy of your friends and neighbors. That little something extra will light up your indoor or outdoor decor for years to come!

WHAT'S A PUSSY WILLOW?
'Pussy Willow' is a name given to many of the smaller species of the Willow (Salix) family which produce stems covered in silverish fur flowers known as 'catkins' during the winter and early spring months. These catkins appear long before the leaves and to many, these catkins resemble tiny little sleeping pussy cats. They are native to both Europe and northern North America. They have been used in landscape and erosion control projects for years. Today, however, the branches are sought by many florists and interior decorators during the winter and early spring months as the first breath of spring. In fact the Eastern Orthodox Christian churches and other selected Christian churches in Europe use the pussy willow branches to supplant the palm frond in Christian symbolism during the Easter Holy Week. Dried pussy willow stems hold their attractive appearance for years. The Purdue University Department of Agriculture has stated "the popularity of the pussy willow has outstripped supply and the availability of high quality branches is limited!"

WHAT'S A GOOD SOURCE FOR MORE INFO?
For photos, arrangement tips and help videos for woody stem motivation we recommend this site: www.nebraskawoodyflorals.com

For local help and local products we recommend THE HAPPY BERRY. And just a reminder: We do not offer or sell any CHINESE KNOCKOFFS!

IN CONCLUSION
Come join us Saturday afternoons- Dec 10 or 17 (Noon to 3pm) and during the winter months to come (beginning again Saturday, January 7). We will be there to help you rain or snow! Give us the opportunity to rub the soft furry catkins of the pussy willow stems across your cheek and if you close your eyes ¬and do not peek – maybe you will feel the essence of spring across your cheek.

Sorry everyone! We thought there would be 7 to 10 days left of harvest, but the muscadines are already gone.

We will be at Greenville market on Sat 10/22 with muscadines, and we will have some pre-picked in the cooler for a couple of days. But the only muscadines left in the field are only good for wine making.

If you have any questions, please give us a call: 864-350-9345 (farm/cell) or 864-868-2946 (home/ans machine)

Eggs:
You can still get our Happy Berry eggs over the winter. Sadly, Amazing Savings in Six Mile is closing, but you can get our eggs atBee Well Honey & Natural Market in Pickens
Durham's Convenience Mart, Six Mile (intersection of 183 and 133 just a few miles up the road from The Happy Berry)
Or Contact us via email or phone if you are interested in eggs
contactus@thehappyberry.com, 864-868-2946 or 864-350-9345

Free Stuff
I (Walker) am available to give a talk on the "Future of Food" if you need a program. Just give me a call (864-350-9345). It's free.

Thank you all for being a part of our "extended family." I know we say it all the time, but it does not get any less true- we would not be here without you!Walker for The Happy Berry Bunch

Starting October 1
Open from 10 AM to 3 PM
Monday through Saturday
CLOSED Sundays

Still Lots of Muscadines!!

There are still lots of muscadines, especially the big black ones. They are huge this year! And SO yummy!

We were planning to close October 1st, but with all the fruit still on the vine we have decided to stay open, and just change the hours instead.

The reason is hunting season starts for deer. This past year they severely damaged the thornless blackberries and they are eating the grape foliage this fall. We will allow hunters to come in early and be gone by 9 AM and like wise customers need to be gone by 3 PM so hunters can come in for the evening hunt.

I believe we saved the foliage on the blueberries so fields have been opened on Mondays. In fact, the farm is starting to get back in horticultural shape.Slow but sure we are getting the weeds under control. We will start the fall projects of getting irrigation on the grapes in Zoe's front yard and where we will plant a few more fig trees behind the old house and convert the blackberries behind the old house to trickle irrigation. The overhead irrigation was using to much water and was not effective so it will be removed.

I (Walker) am available to give a talk on the "Future of Food" if you need a program. Just give me a call (864-350-9345). It's free.

Thank you all for being a part of our "extended family." I know we say it all the time, but it does not get any less true- we would not be here without you!Walker for The Happy Berry Bunch

Blueberry fields will be closed each Monday for the next few weeks.
STILL Muscadines, Grapes and some Figs

Blueberrry Fields Closed on Mondays:
Fungus diseases of the leaves are defoliating the blueberry bushes. This will decrease the number of flower buds (and therefore harvest) for next year. To stop the defoliation and protect the new leaves, we will spray the bushes on Mondays for the next few weeks. The diseases are rust, Septoria and anthracnose. The hot humid weather with high dew points at night is the cause of the problem. We will use a Phosphorus nutrient spray for the problem.

Blueberries will reopen for diehard pickers on Tuesdays but I have to tell you the picking is very poor.

STILL GRAPES AND MUSCADINES and some figs! So please still come to see us!

Research has confirmed that muscadines have higher concentrations of resveratrol than wine grapes. (Resveratrol is purportedly a powerful antioxidant that is produced by some plants to protect against environmental stresses.) This is especially true of those grown in an organic fashion like at The Happy Berry. It turns out that when pathogens attack a muscadine it stimulates the formation of antioxidants in the skin. The National Institute of Health and the National Cancer Institute indicate the extract of the skin inhibits growth of prostate cancer cells in the Laboratory. A newly released study by Wake Forest Health Sciences Professors in Winston-Salem NC indicate that skin and seed extract inhibit the growth of 7 different human cancers. Retired professor Betty Ector from Mississippi State University suggested that her work indicated that muscadines inhibited dental carries to arterial sclerosis.

And oh what a delivery package! Muscadines can run as high as 23% sugar and you are pretty much guaranteed 15 to 20% sugar. They are high in fiber. The skin is chewy and after the burst of sweetness gives a delightful bite that readies the pallet for the next berry. You definitely want to eat the skin. it is where all the goodies are. The skin, known as the hull, makes a delightful pie. Hull pie is "to die for" and reminds me of cherry pie when I was a boy. You can eat the seeds or save them and grind them up and add them to your spaghetti sauce or bread to give a nutriceutical punch to your recipes.

A muscadine should feel soft when you pick it. If you are not sure ask the folks on the porch to show you what a ripe one feels like. You pick muscadines one at a time checking each berry for softness.

We are picking Early Fry, Dixieland and Janet now and the black ones will be good in a day or two. We have picked just a few black ones.

Mars seedless grape will finish this week. The quality this year has been superb! The Neptune seedless grapes are dragging their feet. they are sweet but with more hang time the skin should get tender. We will let you know. I should say some folks like them as they are and have started picking them. Blueberries are near gone. But a few folks are still getting them.

The figs have slowed way up. The "early bird gets the ripe fig." We plan to plant more figs for future seasons.

Blueberries Figs and Grapes (Oh My!)
Still Peak of Season for Blueberries

BLUEBERRIES still at peak! Blueberries are still doing it - but picking time per gallon will start to increase in couple of weeks. We will have blueberries probably into early September for the "you-pick"ers.

FIGS have started and by about August 1 there will be lots!

GRAPES:
We will finish the Jupiter seedless grapes, sweet and fragrant ones, soon. There are still some very pretty, dark blue, Venus seedless grapes. These grapes are great for jelly, jams, pie, cobbler, juice and etc. I anticipate we will start the Mars seedless grapes, also dark blue, this Saturday August 1. We planted Saturn seedless grapes where the Jupiter were last year. At this point they are looking great and we should have a small harvest next year. The Neptune need a lot more hang time.

PEACHES:
This is the LAST WEEKEND (July 30-31) for Elden Zehr's/Sandy Springs Peaches. The weather has not been kind to their peach harvest this year.

BLACKBERRIES will be gone in about 2 weeks. We apologize for letting the grass get ahead of us in the Chester and Navaho blackberries! Zoe has it back under control now. (Thank you Zoe!) There are still some blackberries.

The MUSCADINES appear to be on schedule with first harvest of these organic berries forecasted to be about August 15, 2011.

OTHER NEWS:
PIGS: We chased a large black pig with dogs and it swam across Lake Keowee instead of baying for the dogs. Normally a wild pig bays very easily. That suggested it was an imported hog (from Florida?) that was released here for sport hunting. We are continuing to run the trap in case it/they come back.

ROBINS: We noted a few robins and when we went to start the distress call, it would not work. We have ordered another for $1005 dollars so we hope to have it going by mid week.

THANK YOU! We appreciate your support at the farm. Thank you for your patronage!
Walker for The Happy Berry Bunch

Blueberries:
It is peak-of-season and there are blueberries everywhere! It is amazing. They are sweet and luscious! The bushes are bending over carrying the load. They need your help to get the weight off the branches.

Blackberries:
There are some blackberries. The picking is better in the morning, declining to poor mid day and improving again in the evening. (but remember we close at 6pm on Saturdays!) We are picking Navaho and Chester. Both of these varieties are thornless. They are in the field behind the old house.

Grapes: We have a *limited supply* of already picked Jupiter seedless grapes. We will open the grape field to the public in a week to 10 days. We want make sure they have enough hang time so they get good and sweet and so the picking is easy. We will let you know through the web and the newsletter. Grape picking will start with Venus. We will follow Venus with Mars and Neptune varieties as they mature in sequence. We have added the variety Saturn so next year it will be available.

Figs are on schedule for about August 1. We will send out another newsletter when they are ready.

We are also trying to keep some local corn and peaches available for your summer time eating. Supplies are limited, so if you are making a special trip for corn or peaches, be sure to call first!

The Happy Berry is now part of the Heritage Quilt Trail. On July 11, 2011 "The Happy Quilt" that was created especially for "The Happy Berry," by Christine Christensen was mounted on our old building at the farm. The farm is on the Keowee Trail (circa early 1700's) which led from Charles Town (now Charleston) to Fort Prince George (now buried under the waters of Lake Keowee) and on up into Tennessee. The quilt is mounted on the building that was built in phases over the last 150 years after burning to ground sometime after the Civil War. The theme of the quilt was patterned after the star like appearance that you see when you look at the calyx end of a Rabbiteye blueberry, and all the happy times the "Happy Berry Bunch" has had over three decades: including providing fresh berries and Pussy Willows to local folks in a sustainable and socially acceptable way.

YOU ARE INVITED- We will have a quilt hanging reception with the quilter, Christine Christensen, on Sunday July 17. The reception will be here at the farm between 7pm and 8pm. We hope you will come!

Other News: Our trapping efforts have not caught any pigs…And we have not seen any more damage. Our thanks to Tyler Chappell (419 1462) for doing the trapping. He says they are around someplace. So we will continue.

We have gotten several small showers with one of 0.65 inch on Sunday night so the bushes have a healthy glow to them.

The Roper Mountain Blueberry festival was a huge success. They had their best event ever with over 1200 in attendance. Our thanks to Michael Weeks for organizing this event. Next year it will be on July 14 Th.

We look forward to seeing you on the farm! Don't forget to dress for the weather - hats, water, closed toed/athletic shoes - and THANK YOU for your support!!!

YES! We are open on Monday the 4th of July, 8 AM until dusk. We are open normal hours for the entire weekend (Saturday 8am until 6pm and Sunday noon until).

Blueberries are everywhere.
We are picking virtually all varieties. They are Premier, Climax, Centurion, Tifblue, Delight and even some of the new varieties like Onslow. Powder Blue is not quite ready. The size of the berries this year -seems huge. And the quality is great! The bushes are loaded down with the weight of the fruit. They need your help to get the load off!

Blackberries
have slowed a bit. Picking is best early in the morning or late in the day.

Other news in the blackberries-
Wild pigs have destroyed about 500 feet of row in the new Natchez thornless blackberry. These were the Natchez that we planted to replace the Choctaw. In addition the deer love Natchez foliage, and earlier this year the deer kept the Natchez defoliated. The defoliation led to most of the Natchez berries being aborted.

Grapes
We are expecting Venus seedless table grapes to start the last week in July. The Jupiter seedless are starting to turn…go through verasion, so they may come in early. We will let you know. We have planted Saturn seedless grapes and have vaccinated them, except the control, for Pierces disease. Muscadines seem to be schedule.

Other News
We have built a new chicken house. On June 22 the tin metal roof blew off in a violent thunder storm. It is now fixed. If you have not been out yet this year- you have got to meet our new chickens! They are some of the friendliest birds we have ever had, and they’ll follow you around begging for berries.

Black and Blue!
Open Regular Hours
Now picking blackberries and blueberries!

Well the heat has really moved the berries along! The bushes are dripping with blackberries AND blueberries. Come Join Us!

In the BLACKBERRIES:
We are already picking Kiowa and Chickasaw blackberries. Normally it is Choctaw first, followed by Chickasaw and then Kiowa... but we are picking them all right now!

In the BLUEBERRIES:
Now picking Climax and Premier varieties. It is sooner than we expected, but the berries are out here.

PEACHES:
Eldon Zehr, our peach grower, forecasts peaches to start June 25ish. We’ll keep you posted as we get closer to that date. Red Haven will be the first variety he will bring to us.

UPDATES vs NEWSLETTERS
Check our home page (www.TheHappyBerry.com) for updates. We update the home page more frequently than we send out newsletters.

HERITAGE CORRIDOR CELEBRATION – another farm tour:
If you missed the last farm tour- we are going to do it again for on June 19 and 20. From noon to 5 we will be doing tours of the farm as part of a Heritage Corridor celebration. It will be a walking tour up to an hour in length- So bring your sombreros so can carry your shade with you! Starting about 10,000 years ago the history and heritage of agriculture of the area and the farm will be briefly discussed. Topics include Southeastern prairie, Indians, The Keowee trail, Cattle drives, the Cherokee Indian war 1760-61, bootlegging, cotton era, subsistence farming, our cultural system for blueberries, blackberries, figs, seedless table grapes, chickens, muscadines and pussy willows. **IMPORTANT: A participant should be able to walk about ½ to ¾ of mile. Limited assistance for handicapped will be available on first come first serve basis.** Pick-your-own berries either prior to or post the tour will be available A farm bell will be used 10 minutes before the tour so you can be checked out or set your berries in a secure place prior to embarking on the tour. Some pre-picked berries will be available. The cost of the tour will be $5 per head or $10 for the whole family from kids through grandparents...sorry aunts and uncles are considered separate families. Tour participants will need to register first.

CFSA farm tour:
The farm tour was a huge success. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT! We toured 218 quests answering all questions about production how to and how we do it along with a little agricultural history of the farm.

We believe it is the biggest crop ever. They are huge! We have had to go through and prop the bushes up so we could get through to mow and pick.

We are closed on Memorial day because there is no harvest ready yet.

We will open with Blackberries, regular hours, starting June 7. Regular hours are 8am to Dusk Monday through Friday, 8am until 6pm Saturday and noon until dusk on Sunday.

We will be open June 4 and 5 from 1pm until 6pm for CFSA Farm Tours and Open Picking. The tours will be for the benefit of Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. Tours are about an hour long and we answer all questions. It is $25 per carload for all 20 farms. If you wish only to do our farm, it is $10 for a single farm. For more information & to buy tour tickets, visit: www.carolinafarmstewards.org/uft2011.shtml. There is more information about the tour at the end of this newsletter. We strongly support this organization and hope you will too. We do not have enough local farms and they support local farms as well as organic farms.

You don’t have to be on a tour to come pick on June 4 & 5. If you just want to pick (no tour), there is no charge except for the berries. Remember that volume will be limited when we first open, and June 4 & 5 are the abbreviated hours from 1-6. (closed June 6, and then open regular hours beginning June 7)

Prices this year:
You-pick for blueberries and blackberries will be $2.25 per pound and if we-pick it will be $24 dollars per gallon. Figs and Muscadines this year will be $1.50 per pound and you-pick and $18 per gallon we-pick. Grapes will be $2.00 per pound you-pick and $20 we-pick. We guarantee 6 pounds in a gallon and 1.5 pounds in a quart. Pre picked berries in quarts are ¼ the gallon price. Fuel, Fertilizer and labor have gone up and we will be paying those who pick for us more this year.

We anticipate blueberries to start about 17 th of June but will let you know if they come in earlier. Figs and grapes will be at the end of July and muscadines late August.

There is a coupon for 1 pound free (you-pick, blueberries only) in the “Edible Upcountry” magazine that will come out about June 1. We will have some free copies at the farm. The link to Edible Upcountry is www.edibleupcountry.com I was unable to find individual ads on the web site. So here is the phone number 864-395-9250 to call and request a copy. We only accept original/paper copies of all coupons.

More on the CFSA tour.
The 2011 tour features 20 local farms in upstate counties from Spartanburg to Oconee and Anderson, including fruit and vegetable growers, livestock producers, two dairies, a worm farm, a hydroponics producer, and even a buffalo farm! Two farms, Live Oak Farm in Woodruff, and the Student Organic Farm at Clemson University, will be selling farm fresh meals, cooked on-site by acclaimed local chefs. Just a few of the unique treats in store on this year’s tour: tractor hayrides, hug an alpaca, corn grinding, beekeeping and backyard chicken demonstrations, lots of cute baby animals, herbal snow cones, and much more!

The Upstate Farm Tour is self-guided, and farms are located all around the Upstate, including Anderson, Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Laurens, and Spartanburg counties. To take the tour, get a map and purchase entrance buttons online at www.carolinafarmstewards.org or at Whole Foods Market in Greenville. Load up your vehicle with friends and family, pack a cooler in the trunk for all the farm-fresh goodies you’ll want to take home, and then use the map to plot your course!

We don’t do strawberries BUT-- Strawberry season is here. Local growers advise that even though they have had to frost protect it has been a nice cool winter and a warm spring. The recent warm weather means the berries are beginning to ripen. Based on their comments some are 5 to 7 days ahead of schedule and one grower is 2 weeks ahead because they used row covers. Best to call first if you are making a special trip!

Mr. T’s Strawberries. Mr. “T’s Strawberries opened on March 28. The address is 131 Scenic Height Rd. They are located in West Union, the corner of highway 11 and Scenic Heights Road Across from Scenic Heights Church and the new BBQ place. From Clemson, take route 28 to 11. Turn on onto Highway 11, continue north for 1 1/2 miles, field will be on the right. They have Sweet Charlie’s this year and they also used row covers, which accounts for the early start. They will do both U-pick and pre-picked. The phone is the best way to reach them: 864 638 5457.

Hunter Farm is located between Easley and Dacusville. Opening day April 20. If you take route 135 out of Easley just a little ways out of town you will see their sign that will turn you right and then almost immediately left. Then it is several miles and they are on the left. Eric Hunter is forecasting good picking by the 28 or 29 of April and that “it is a great looking crop”. His number is 864 859 2978. He is open 8a until 8pm Monday through Saturday. And 1 to 5 pm on Sunday

Hardy Berry Farm says Opening day is April 16. Located on 232 Strawberry Road off of Dobbins Bridge Road 4 miles west of Anderson. Kevin says he will open on Saturday but says volume will be limited the first couple of day. He expects to reach full volume by Tuesday or Wednesday. They are open 8a to 8p each day. They are also into fresh flour and several other berries including blue and blackberries like us. Their number is 864 224 5441.

Beechwood FarmsOpening for strawberries April 16 or 18 is located 204 Bates Bridge Road near Slater/Marietta SC. There phone is 864 836 6075 at the stand and there is a recorder for messages after hours. Email beechwoodstrawberries@gmail.com. They said that they are open now but anticipate supply to be limited initially. They say there will be tons in just a few warm days. Like us at The Happy Berry they only take cash (so no credit cards), thanks. Find them on Facebook as Beechwood Farms.

The Happy Cow Creamery, Tom Tratham,(which has non-homogenized milk that is pasteurized at 145 degrees instead of 165 degrees used in flash pasteurization) has strawberries too. Opening day for You-Pick is April 18. Located at 330 Mckelvey Road, Pelzer, SC. They are growing organically but Tom points out that they are not certified organic because of the cost of the certification. He tells us that they have not had chemicals on his farm in 23 years, not even organic plant pharmaceuticals. They use lots of cow manure and it is a plastic culture system. If you headed south on route 25 from Ware Place go 1.9 miles to the second left. That is Mckelvey Road and they will be one mile on the right. Strawberries will be available only in the store until April 18. After April 18 they will open the You-Pick. Regular hours are Mon-Fri 9a to 7p, and Sat 9a-5p. Call 864 243 9699 for more information.

Callaham's Orchards. Opening Day is April 16. They are located off highway 20 in the Cheddar community just outside of Belton SC. Address is 559 Crawford road, Belton, SC. If you get to Winston you have gone too far. They will pick until berries give out each day. Within another week they will be loaded with strawberries and should be open full days. Their regular hours will be open from 9 AM to 6 PM. Phone is 864 338 0810 at the store with a recorder during closed periods---email callahamorchards@charter.net. Callaham's also books farm tours. They are currently running strawberry tours, but you can also call now to book tours for blackberries and peaches. (The blackberries and peaches will begin in June.) To book tours, call 864 338 5302.

At The Happy Berry - Updates

We are forecasting blackberries to start about June 5 to 7 and blueberries to start about June 17 to 20.

We are very appreciative of all the nice rain. Let's hope it keeps up. We have used the wind machine twice this year and the hail Saturday evening missed us. The crimson clover is in bloom. It is quite a sight to see!

We are forecasting a great- no, a fantastic!- crop of blueberries this year!

For those of you who know him, Juan is vacationing in Mexico for 5 or 6 weeks, so you won't be seeing him around the farm until his return.

On behalf of all of us local farmers.we appreciate your support! Come see us! Anytime!

Thanks to all of you for your support
Walker for The Happy Berry Bunch: Zoe, Betty-Ann, Ann, Walker and Juan

We are having a last-Saturday sale for willows and other stems 11 AM until 3 PM. Spend $30 and get a pick-your-own berry coupon for $5! and then if you still don't like the price...Talk to us!

We will have pussy willow plants throughout the year, but from now until we open for blackberries, about June 1, we will be focusing on getting ready. If you want plants after this Saturday, please call to make arrangements or send us an email. (Since we are on the farm during the day, we only check email at night.) If you are thinking about planting... the longer you wait the more difficult it will be to get them to survive the summer droughts.

Berries: Wednesday morning April 6 was "nip and tuck" but we "dodged" the frost by running the wind machine. The dew point was 24 degrees Fahrenheit and at 3:30am the temperature started dropping "like a rock." But with the wind machine at work, we did not have a single damaged flower!

We are going to "bite the bullet" and put in a well this spring. After lots of research- No matter what we get we figure it will pay us back...Just the payback period will be longer. Wish us luck.

I will work on strawberry info and get it out soon.

Thanks to all of you for your support
Walker for The Happy Berry Bunch

Winter "blahs". Forget about it! Join us and celebrate the natural wonders of nature with WOODY WINTER FLORALS at The Happy Berry.

First- let us thank you for a great opening day (for pussy willows) Saturday (January 29)! It was a great success! Old friends and new visitors joined us at our first winter public opening. (Pictures from opening day are on our home page.)

We will continue to be open every Saturday from 11AM to 3PM thru the middle of April.

Saturday February 12th: Woody floral arrangements will be a great alternative to your standard flowers!

If you are aware of any group or club desirous of a winter/early spring presentation please call or email Lou Christensen (Mr. Pussy Willow) at 864-886-9966 or ludchris@bellsouth.net for information and possible open dates.

For those who want more - What’s Happening?!
January was a "Winter Wonder" for The Happy Berry selling and growing woody winter florals with emphasis on the pussy willow family. Thank you to all our friends who invited us to present! In addition to presentations to the Clarice Wilson Garden Club in Greenville and The Lakes and Hills Garden Club at Keowee Key, we also presented the "Pussy Willow Mystique" to gatherings at the Anderson County Public Library and at the Clemson University Osher Life Long Institute (OLLI) Kick Off celebration at the St. Marks Church in Seneca.

February is scheduled to be a busy month. Pussy Willows are a great Valentine alternative to your standard flowers! On farm, on Saturday, February 12, we will feature ready-made arrangements of the woody florals suitable for your special Valentine on Monday February 14! These Valentine day arrangements will also be presented with a free bouquet of Cardinal Red Dogwood Twigs that will make your heart twitter!

Also during the month of February "off farm programs" will include the Morning Glory Garden Club and the Briar Patch Shops in Greenwood; The Mountain Laurel Club in Travelers Rest: The Anderson Home and Garden Show: The Clemson Association of Women Professionals; The Travelers Rest Garden Club; The Wynard Point Garden Club at Lake Keowee and The Clemson Red Hats.

Looking ahead to March: In addition to the Saturday on-farm offerings, we are currently scheduled to be at the Greenville Home and Garden Show; The Seneca Cosmopolitan Women's Club of the Seneca Region ; The Piedmont Region of South Carolina's Garden Clubs Annual Conference being held in Greenville, and the Paris Mountain Garden Club.

Remember - If you are aware of any group or club desirous of a winter/early spring presentation please call or email Lou Christensen (Mr. Pussy Willow) at 864-886-9966 or ludchris@bellsouth.net for information and possible open dates.

The Happy Berry will be open on Saturdays from 11 AM to 3PM with fresh cut willow branches & other woody florals.

We are in full swing of Willow harvest now.

Our first harvest of Pussy Willows are Purple Heirloom sometimes know as Prairie Willow and Silvers. These are our most popular type because of the large catkins. Did you know that the catkin (the showy pussy) is the male stem of the flower which if allowed to continue to develop will produce anthers and the male pollen. Along the base of the male stem are tiny non-showy female flowers. Willows are both self-fertile and cross fertile. Here they produce a tiny capsule with the silken thread that allows willows to be wind spread.

We are also harvesting Red and Yellow stick dogwoods and Scarlet Curly's. All of these floral stems make great dried arrangements. And if you are interested we will teach you how to grow your own.

And for those who want to know a little more:
Willows -a symbol of wisdom -herald the beginning of spring. They are an important source of nectar and pollen for native bees as well as the honeybee.

This year the willow harvest has been delayed by the cold weather. Whereas last year we started willow harvest about January 1, we've just started willow harvest for this year, which is about 3 weeks behind normal schedule. This delay is caused by the all the cold we have been having. We are already about 400 chill hours ahead of normal. What is a chill hour? Any hour in which the temperature is below 45 degrees.

Blueberries On-Time:
The cold is great for the blueberry plants. They love this cold weather. All these extra chill hours mean they have already met their required chill hours, so they will be ready to bloom when it gets warm.

Please come see us 11 to 3 on Saturdays at The Happy Berry.
Ann, Walker, Zoe and the Pussy Willow Man "Lou"